


They may be gone, but you're not

by RomytheRed



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Child Death, Gen, Other, Self-Sacrifice, Suicide, Suicide Mentality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-28
Updated: 2015-12-28
Packaged: 2018-05-09 20:19:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5553923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RomytheRed/pseuds/RomytheRed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frisk saves everyone...</p><p>...everyone but themself.</p><p>A tragedy in three parts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Year 20XX, Mount Ebott: The Day the Barrier Was Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A beginning.
> 
> And an end.

Finally. It had been so long, and finally, finally, _finally_ , after everything... the monsters were free.

 

Through the efforts of a single kind, incredible child, the barrier had been shattered. the efforts of a single child... just a single, tiny, child...

 

 _ah, that child... reminds me so much of Them_ , Toriel thought, smiling. She and the many friends that child had made were waiting for their young hero's return near the exit to the mountain. Off to one side, Alphys and Undyne were regaling her former - rather, That Man - with tales of this "Annie-May" that they were so fond of. That amusing little skeleton, Sans, and his brother, Papyrus, were having a discussion about spaghetti, filled with a number of rather amusing puns. Toriel couldn't help but chuckle a little as Papyrus complained readily about a series of puns involving the phrase "Sauce to be you". However, for some reason, she couldn't help but feel a small bit of worry, deep in her heart.

"Uh, Hey, it's been a while since Frisk went down hasn't it?" Undyne said, as though voicing Toriel's concerns. "Anyone know if the little runt said anything about how long they were gonna take?"

The monsters looked at each other in discomfort. Indeed, it had been quite some time - at least a few hours - since their friend had left. A fact made all the more worrying by the child's own statement that they 'would not be gone long'.

"Ah... perhaps... one of us should... go and look for them?" Asgore suggested, shifting uncomfortably. "I wouldn't mind-"

"After what you did? I'd rather it be someone else to go fetch them," Toriel snapped.

A shadow passed over Asgore's face, and he nodded, seeming to grow far older in that one instant than he had in the past hundred years. "Of... of course. You are right, my dear."

"And please don't call me 'my dear', Asgore."

"Yes... of course." Asgore answered, even more meekly than before. An akward silence fell.

"A-HEM!!!!"

Papyrus cleared his throat loudly, shattering the silence. "WELL THEN! SINCE IT SEEMS THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE GOING TO FIND OUR YOUNG FRIEND, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, VOLUNTEER TO LEAD THE EXPEDITION BACK INTO THE MOUNTAIN!! WHO WANTS TO COME ALONG?"

Sans shrugged as his overly enthusiastic brother looked at him. "well, i guess i should go. wouldn't want you getting.... _bonely_." 

Papyrus' eyes rolled so hard in his head at that, they nearly came out. Undyne's face distorted in disgust, unable to believe what she'd just heard. Alphys tried to laugh, but it ended up sounding pitying, so she stopped. Asgore didn't even react. Toriel, at least, seemed amused.

"tough crowd" Sans remarked, chuckling. "but yeah, i'll go."

"UNDYNE, ALPHYS, WILL YOU COME WITH US???" Papyrus asked, turning to the two lovebirds.

"Well of COURSE I'm coming!" Undyne said, laughing, "I have to give that punk a noogie for making us all worry like this!"

"I... I think... yeah I'll. I think I. Should go," Alphys stuttered. "I mean... they... Frisk is our friend, right? They helped all of us when we needed it so - so if they need help we should -"

And then Alphys stopped. Because she heard it. They _all_ heard it. The sounds of approaching footsteps. Of what sounded like the footsteps of a child.

Only - how strange. Not one, but two. Perhaps it wasn't Frisk, after all? The monsters could only hope that it was their friend, and if it wasn't, then they would simply go to find them after. But for now - for now, they listened. For now, they stood still and waited.

And then, their patience was rewarded - as the young child, their hero, their savior, their _friend_ slowly walked into the room. With yet another miracle.

Tears streamed from Toriels eyes as she covered her mouth in shock. Asgore fell to his knees, unable to remain standing. Undyne and Alphys held each other's hands, unable to believe what they were witnessing. Sans, who had met the figure, if not known him, couldn't even muster a joke. Papyrus, though confused, looked on without breaking the silence, this time.

  


**"Mom... Dad... Im. We're back..."**

  


Toriel moved then, running to the two children and hugging them. Nothing could be done to stop her tears, or her ex-husband's. Nothing.

Until Papyrus noticed something. Why was their friend, the small human, crying? 

"HELLO TINY HUMAN! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT? YOU SEEM TO BE CRYING! IS SOMETHING WRONG, FRISK?"

And then.

And then.

Then...

  


...It Happened.

  


"No. Im. they're. not... okay." the tiny child sobbed.

  


All of the monsters froze. none of them had heard Frisk talk that much. After all, it had been at most a few days since the young human had fallen into the mountain. However, despite that, all of them _had heard Frisk's voice before _.__

_And that voice was not Frisk's._

The quiet sobbing continued. "Im sor... sorryy," the child choked out. "I... we try-tried to stop them but they. but Frisk said... th-they said they... said they didn't deserve- I couldn't-"

Toriel's crying had stopped, but she had yet to let go of either child. She couldn't. Not now. Slowly, she turned to face the miracle the child had brought - her son, Asriel, back from the dead - a questioning look on her face. The pained expression he wore stabbed deep into her heart.

"WAIT... WHAT DO YOU MEAN, HUMAN? WHAT HAPPENED TO FRISK? WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU? WHAT'S -" " _papyrus._ "

Papyrus' increasingly worried questioning was cut off short as his brother put a hand on his shoulder, signaling him to wait. Alphys squeezed Undyne's hand hard enough that even the captain of the guards felt a little pain. She had to do her best to not respond the same way. A few silent moments passed, punctuated only by the Human's sobbing apologies. Finally, it was Asgore who managed to ask the question.

"Asriel... my son... what... what happened?"

An expression more bitter than any he had shown during his time as a flower showed on the monster child's face. What was it - guilt? Anger? Sadness? Maybe all of the above. Asriel tried to speak, but no words came out. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to show a brave face. But it was obvious that he was only barely able to stop himself from crying. He opened his mouth.

  


"Frisk... they. Frisk... sacrificed. Themself. To... to let- no, to _save_ the two of us."

  


"Two...?" Asgore asked, confused. "I know you're here, but Frisk is still there, even if that's... wait."

Even behind all that white fur, one could see the blood drain from Asgore's face, as realization dawned on him. "I... the voice. That they have been speaking in. I - its been so many years, I almost... did not recognize it. But... but how could that - could it. Could you..."

"Are you... _are you **Chara** , perhaps?_" Toriel asked quietly, finishing the King's question.


	2. Two Months Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asriel remembers the day he and Chara were Saved.
> 
> Saved, but at what cost?

"Asriel? Dear? Are you o-"

  


"Mom. Please.... leave me alone..."

Silence. You can almost hear her frowning through the door. You know that she just wants to help, but you... you really just. Can't be around anyone but Chara right now. And they're... well. they're. They're curled up in their bed right now, across the room. Sleeping. It's one of the only things they've done other than eat and cry since-

Since you left the mountain.

Since the two of you were " _Saved_ ".

Since... _Since Frisk..._

  


Your thoughts are interrupted as you hear your mother sigh. "Alright, dear. I'll leave you alone for now. But... if you need anything, I'll do my best to help, all right?"

"Mm. yeah. Thanks, mom..." you mutter. It's all you can muster right now.

You hear her walking away, and let out a sigh. Your mind quickly fell back into the same line of thought as before, of course. What else could you possibly think about? It had only been two months since then. Nobody had really processed it properly yet. How could they? Frisk was - Frisk was... how could one describe it? Such a pure, innocent, kind child. Much nicer and kinder than you or Chara had ever really been, though you were certain that Chara could at least have given Frisk a run for their money. They were definitely both more incredible than you.

But they were both stupid. So, so perfect, and so, so, so, so, _so STUPID!!_ You nearly screamed. You only held back because you didn't want to wake Chara up. They... they needed the sleep. What had happened was. So much worse for them, for a lot of reasons. But especially because... you could tell.

Chara had truly cared about Frisk. They wanted with all their heart for them to be happy, to be with all the friends they had made, even if it meant leaving them behind. That way, Chara felt, they could finally rest in peace.

  


So _of course_ Chara would feel guilty when Frisk repeated their old mistake. When Frisk sacrificed themself to save us.

  


You weren't really exempt from that feeling either. Honestly, the only reason you were better off than Chara was that... you could still feel their soul inside you. Deep down. You knew that they weren't conscious anymore - they had chosen that, after all. But you could almost hear a faint "Don't cry, it's all right" deep inside you every time you thought about them. And you knew that those weren't YOUR thoughts. You would never think that... _this_... was alright. So... it had to be them, right?

It would explain why you were so much calmer than Chara, at least. You still weren't sure how things worked out the way you did. The best explanation you had was a theory Alphys had put forward after hearing what occurred, honestly.

"M...maybe...." She had said, "Maybe... since both Frisk's and Chara's souls w-were inhabiting the same body..."

"A-And if Chara had even a little... DETERMINATION at the time... th-then if Frisk's soul left their body intentionally... the body became... Chara's?"

It was the only explanation that made sense, really. And since Frisk's soul had refused to go back to their body, regardless of how much the two of you begged, you had to choose between absorbing their soul and letting it disappear. Forever. Souls don't last very long outside a body without a container of some kind, after all.

It was an easy choice, really. You weren't going to let them _die_!! And you expected that if nothing else, at least they'd still be alive inside you, even if you ended up stuck in the form you had initially fought them with as a result. But - somehow - it seemed like all the DETERMINATION that had been driving them all this time? It seemed like it just. vanished. You tried to wake them up right after absorbing their soul, but they never responded. The feeling their soul gave off was as though they were - sleeping, almost. But no matter how hard you've tried, they've never woken up.

  


"..Uuu..hhh...uuuuu"

The sobbing made you turn around. Chara was crying in their sleep.

" 'M s..orry Frisk... 'm sor ry... you didnt... I didnt want..." they moaned. You walked over and gently shook them awake.

"!! IMsO- uhh. uuu. oh .. oh. Ree... was. Was I. Dreaming?"

You nod, and move to hug them. Normally, they would rebuff such an attempt, but they simply lean into you instead. It feels kind of funny, with them sinking into your fur a little.

You hear a quiet sob, and then a deep breath. "Ree," they ask quietly, "What should we do...?"

  


You honestly wish you knew how to answer them.


	3. Three years later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bad day.
> 
> A better ending.

A terrible, horrible dream. One you see every night. In it, the one person you wanted to save with all your heart sacrifices themselves - to save you, instead.

  


A painful awakening. A memory. A painful realization. A reminder that it wasn't _just a dream_.

A strong desire to hurt yourself - to punish yourself - that is resisted. Like it has been for a while now. Not because you don't deserve it - no. Because you wouldn't.... you don't want to disappoint them. You know just what they would say if they saw you doing that, after all.

A slow walk out of your room. Nobody seems to be here right now. You decide not to eat breakfeast, yet, if at all. You're not hungry anyways.

A shower. The warm water hitting your back - you have to remind yourself that it _is_ your back now - feels good. You've finally gotten used to how it feels as it runs over some of the scars that once upon a time, were not yours.

A comb, a brush, a hairdryer. The stupid thing shorts out midway. You curse silently as you press the reset button before continuing the act of dealing with your hair. It's longer than _yours_ used to be. Fluffier, too. You look in the mirror, seeing your tannish skin, darker than _you_ ever had. Only the color of your eyes is the same. Brown, with a hint of green.

A sigh, welling up from deep inside you. You wonder absently where everyone is. You should probably check after you get dressed.

A familiar striped shirt. Most of them are the same two colors - green with yellow, or blue with pinkish ones. You could easily get different clothes if you wanted to. You just... don't. Yet.

A painful reminder. As you stare at the calendar, having dressed fully and entered the kitchen. You hadn't realized what day it was. Of course it was today. How could you forget?

  


Three years.

It's been three years.

  


You feel a little bit like crying, but you hold it in. After all, you know what they would say about it. You just... you just...

No. You can't think about this right now. You need to do your best not to think about it too much. After all, it's only going to get worse, later. Since today is the day.

Because that means the _Celebration_ is going to be today. Later, thankfully. But it will still happen. It's a cruel irony, really.

That the two days coincided.

Maybe if you ask them nicely, they'd - no. No of course they wouldn't. They - they care too much not to. But you'll. You'll do your best to deal with it. At least Ree will be there. That should... make it better. Maybe.

  


You sigh loudly. It's almost time. You found a note telling you to go to Papyrus' house, in his ridiculous, impossibly friendly handwriting. It'll be around the time on the note soon. Maybe you should just - no. No that would - you know they wouldn't - you have to... you have to do your best. You don't...

No. Stop. Don't think about that. Just, just try to be positive. It's fine. It's ok. You can do this. You have to. So you get up, and you start walking.

  


You're momentarily confused as you enter the living room, and nobody is to be found. Only momentarily though.

"SURPRISE!!!" the tall skeleton says, as he pops out from his hiding place behind a couch. The others follow suit, appearing from places that you - well, you're honestly amazed you didn't notice any of it. You must... be more preoccupied than you thought.

Toriel walks up to you then, smiling. Ree is with her, but his expression is... you can tell. He's - he's thinking about it too. He remembers too. So why don't - why do they always-

  


" **Happy Birthday, my child.** " Toriel says.

  


You - you can't take this. not this year, you can't, not again, not... not this!!! You burst into tears and run, ignoring the calls of the others. You don't stop until you reach your room back at home.

This is... so unlike you. You were never _this_ much of a crybaby. But that was... before. Before all this. Before they told you _that_. Before they _Saved_ you. You still hate it, every day. All the time.

Why couldn't you have saved _them_?

You hear a knock on the door. You don't say anything. You can't say anything. Even thinking about talking hurts right now.

The door opens slowly, and Toriel and Ree walk in.

Ree - you can tell that they know what you're thinking. You know that they feel the same way, too. But then... why did-

"My child," Toriel speaks softly, "are you alright?" You shake your head. Of course not. How could you be alright, especially today?

Toriel moves closer, and Ree sits down next to where you're curled up on the bed. "What is wrong, then? I would like to help if I can, but-"

Finally, you find your voice. It's pained and full of sadness, just like the rest of you.

"H....how... can you... how can you all... forgive me...." You sob, getting louder without realize it the longer you speak. "How - how can... how can you... just do things like this!!! For me!!! For us!!! When it was - It's our fault that!! It's our fault that Frisk- I couldn't... I can't, _I cANT REPL AC E THEM_ IM NO WHERE NEaR AS GOOD OR AS NICE OR, OR, I'M!!! I-" 

  


A sudden hug interrupts your ranting. The surprise elicits a gasp from both you and Ree, who she seems to have grabbed too.

"Oh, my children. I am sorry. I- we never intended to make you feel this way. And we don't think of you as their replacement, Chara."

  


"B-but then... why do you all-"

Care. Not hate me. Not want them back.

  


"That is simple, my child. _Because we all love the both of you, too._ "

Your breath catches in your throat. She can't mean that. _They_ can't mean that. It's your fault that Frisk-

  


"Chara - my child - we all miss Frisk. They were... a truly, truly wondrous child. We all loved them very much. But you are not their replacement. You are yourself. You are Chara. But that is why we love you. Because of who you are. Because of how you are."

"All of us - myself, Papyrus, Sans, Undyne, Alphys, and Asgore - all of us miss Frisk very much. But none of us has ever thought of their leaving as being your fault. We are all sad that they chose that path, but at the same time - we are all very, very glad that they did it in order to allow the two of you to return to us."

  


You can't breathe. You glance at Ree, and he - looks like he's about to cry. He hasn't cried for a long time. You're... is this, is this really alright?

Aren't the two of you supposed to suffer for what happened? Isn't it all your fault that they left, that they didn't get to be happy?

  


"My children - it was not your fault," Toriel says, as though she can read your mind. "We all miss them - we will always miss them - but we also want the two of you to be happy. After all, I am sure - _that it is what Frisk would have wanted, as well._ "

You heard a sob. Ree was crying. It had been so long since they cried - they used to be such a crybaby - but it seemed like they'd been holding back. Trying to be strong. But of course they were crying.

How could they not be? After hearing that? After... after that...

You couldn't help yourself. You started crying even harder than you already had been, the tears flowing out - and somehow it felt like they were bringing all that pain, that fear that everyone hated you , with them. You reached out and grabbed onto both Ree and T- no, your mother - and held on tightly. She smiled back gently at the two of you.

"Now, I know the two of you are still having some trouble, so why don't you take some time for the moment. And then, maybe later, if you are feeling up to it, we can continue the party here, Chara. After all - we all want to celebrate the day that you entered our lives."

  


You look over at asriel and he manages to nod, just a little. You know that this pain, this feeling of guilt, will never go away completely. And above all, you'll never stop missing Frisk - the closest you've ever had to a Human friend.

However-

  


"...Is there... a cake...?" You ask quietly.

"Yes, and it's chocolate, of course. Just how you like it, dear."

You nod silently, feeling a little better. The pain won't ever go away. Neither you or Ree will ever get over what happened, and the ways it changed you will remain the rest of your lives.

But if nothing else, if nothing else, it seems like. Maybe, just maybe. Thanks to these people. Their - no, _Your_ friends.

Maybe things will get better. After all... you have to become happy enough to fill Frisk's share, too. It's the only thing you can do for them, now.

  


After all - even if they're not here anymore... You are.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to use this Sad AU for your own fics, just give me credit if you use this fic for inspiration specifically.
> 
> Speaking of inspiration, Chara calling Asriel "Ree" came from FeralPhoenix's fics. Go read them, they're good.
> 
> also comments are very much welcome


End file.
